Treating people decently, humanely, kindly, and with genuine respect characterized Jerry’s being — and came through clearly in his writing. Tom (Sergiovanni) and he started young and kept learning and getting better — two worthy models for us all. Jerry’s combination of wit and compassion — not to mention those sparkling eyes — combined with his passion for all children’s education, and all adults’ continued development to define a genuine scholar with enormous heart. Just look at the evolution of Sergiovanni and Starratt books to see evidence of growing wisdom and convictions.
In 2013, Jerry wrote in “Remembering Tom”:
And to each of us at this moment when we say good-bye and thank you to Tom, we can hear him say in his gracious way, “Thank you for your friendship and support, for the goodness in you that you brought to me and that you continue to bring to others. In our small band of brothers and sisters we have been exploring ways to bring out the goodness in teachers and the ways they, in turn, could affirm and enable the goodness of their students in their efforts to understand the goodness of the world as they learn their lessons.”
Jerry’s own words for his friend and colleague, Tom, capture his own mission and his unique contribution to our field and to our own learning far better that I can. “Goodness” — as a quest for teachers, for supervisors, for each of us, and as a guiding light for children in schools — is the quest; Jerry was its spokesman and model.-
Written by Lee Goldsberry in Honor and Memory of Dr. Jerry Starratt